Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderRodentia (Rosegadors)
- FamilyCricetidae (Hamsters, Voles, Lemmings, and Allies)
- GenusOndatra (Common Muskrats)
- SpeciesOndatra zibethicus (Muskrat)
The muskrat or common muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent. Adult muskrats weigh 0.6–2 kg (1+1⁄4–4+1⁄2 lb), with a body length (excluding the tail) of 20–35 cm (8–14 in). They are covered with short, thick fur of medium to dark brown color. Their long tails, covered with scales rather than hair, are laterally compressed and generate a small amount of thrust, with their webbed hind feet being the main means of propulsion and the unique tail mainly important in directional stability. Muskrats spend most of their time in the water and can swim underwater for 12 to 17 minutes. They live in families of a male and female pair and their young. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Grand Canyon National Park
Deer Mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
Mexican Vole
Microtus mexicanus
Bushy-tailed Wood Rat
Neotoma cinerea
Rock Squirrel
Otospermophilus variegatus
Cliff Chipmunk
Tamias dorsalis
Abert's Squirrel
Sciurus aberti
Uinta Chipmunk
Tamias umbrinus
White-tailed Antelope Squirrel
Ammospermophilus leucurus
American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Callospermophilus lateralis
Least Chipmunk
Tamias minimus
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Muskrat at Grand Canyon National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️🌙 When They're Spotted
Active throughout day and night · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there